The Tight End list of free agents is one of the smallest ever in 2020, but there are still a couple of key names. The big question is whether there will be any movement of those big names.

Hunter Henry

No TE on this list has the star potential as Henry does. We’ve all seen flashes of that potential as Phillip Rivers’ favorite end zone target. In another injury-filled season, Henry still managed to finish with 55 catches for 652 yards and 5 TDs in 12 games. Stretch that out to a full season, and you have yourself a top 5 TE. The Chargers have questions at every skill position it seems. Rivers is one step away from retirement – he already moved to Florida. Gordon and Ekeler are also free agents and neither is certain to return. All these questions could make Henry say goodbye as well. Since the beginning of the season, I’ve had it in the back of my mind that Henry would look really good in a Patriots jersey.

Austin Hooper

In 2018, Hooper gave all indications that he had high TE1 potential with 71 catches for 660 yards and 4TDs. He followed that performance up with a spectacular year of 75 receptions for 787 yards and 6TDs. He is more than just a safety valve option in this offense giving the Falcons a middle-of-the-field guy who can stretch on deeper routes and keep safeties honest. At just 25, Hooper will be sought after by teams which could cause a problem for Atlanta. The Falcons are currently only $7.5 million under the cap, and have 19 players owed in dead cap space – a true sign of bad management. Seeing as how Hooper’s market value is pushing $10 million, Atlanta will need to get creative with some contracts, or more importantly, cut ties with a few overpaid players like Trufant ($10.5 million) or Freeman ($6.5 million) in order to keep Hooper. I can be done, but at what cost?

Tyler Eifert

The window is closing for Eifert. Injuries have seemed to always inhibit him from having another stellar year like 2015. However, even that 2015 year had one alarming statistic. Though he finished with career highs in yards (615) and TDs (a whopping 13 – not a typo), he still only had 52 receptions, an average of only 3.25 per game. Still, with so much promise, it’s hard not to give him one more chance. He’ll be way down on the pecking order of receptions, but he may not cost much to resign him. Joe Burrow could use that safety valve until the game slows down for him.

Eric Ebron

On December 4th, 2019, Ebron had surgery on BOTH ankles. This is not a good sign for the young, athletic TE from North Carolina. He did have 17 TDs in the 27 games he played in Indy, but he also only caught 59% of his targets and had 14 drops. That, and the fact that 14 of those TDs was with a quarterback who retired before the 2019 season, means his value has dropped significantly. Oh, and Jack Doyle cut into his targets too. This all points to the idea that he won’t be back. Of course, GM Chris Ballard sort of confirmed that when he said about Ebron, “We’ll probably move on.” Well, there you have it. His youth (27) and his athletic ability (assuming he fully recovers from his surgeries) should land him somewhere else. But I seriously doubt he’ll get the two year, $13 million contract he received from Indy. A team desperate for a mobile pass-catching TE could give him a shot. Watch him go to New England and blow up if they don’t sign Hunter Henry. Just a hunch.

Other Notables

I’ll use the term “notables” loosely here. There are a few guys to keep and eyes on. Jacob Hollister and Luke Willson are both UFAs in Seattle. With the emergence of Dissly this past season, the Seahawks will probably keep one of them. The obvious choice is Hollister. Jason Witten and Vernon Davis will probably both retire. We will all wonder if Witten goes back to the commentator role, and then come back to Dallas in 2021. Get Blake Jarwin now. Darren Fells could be resigned in Houston, but it seems like Houston and TE draft pick is a common theme each and every year.